Category Archives: politics

I have always believed in strong civic involvement–volunteering, helping out a neighbor, donating $$–but since we moved to Philadelphia last May I have been living an insular life. I believe that I live a good life, in a way that is responsible to the planet and to its inhabitants (my neighbors), but I need to to do more. I need to take action; get involved.

With that in mind, last night I attended the initial interest meeting for a new group, Transition Philadelphia, part of a larger international group, Transition US. The premise behind the Transition movement is that we are going to reach Peak Oil (the point where oil runs out) and we need to start preparing for that moment–we need to build resilience throughout our communities–energy, transportation, eduction, food, etc. (It sounds somewhat apocalyptic but I think the overall goals and theory are sound.)

This makes a lot of sense. But I left the meeting knowing that it’s not for me. I want to believe in grassroots organizing and activism, but I’m too much of a cynic. No matter how organized and active local groups and people can be; no matter how strong a local community is, the corporations are the ones that have the final say. I believe in macroeconomics. I believe that real change will come from cooperation with governments, corporations, non-profit groups, and neighbors.

This is pretty defeatist way to start off a Thursday morning and I wish I could be idealistic but, over the past 14 years, I have learned that, at my core, I am not a grassroots activist. I admire what they do and I wish I could put my heart and energy into local causes and actions but every time I try my cynicism butts me in the head.

I wasn’t going to blog about the midterm elections. I know they are important and I voted. But I have no patience for pundits and their speculation of what the next two years will look like for the U.S. But I was shocked this morning when I heard what Republican Senator Mitch McConnell (Ky.) said yesterday:

“Our friends on the other side can change now and work with us to address the issues that are important to the American people that we all understood, or further change obviously can happen in 2012,” he said.

How does this kind of threat help the U.S.? How does it help bolster the economy? create jobs? fund healthcare? strengthen our schools? find solutions to the Afghanistan and Iraq wars? support our veterans?

Not only did the majority of American voters show Congress that they were unhappy with the Democrats, but their votes also showed that they are fed up with the bipartisanship of Congress. Come on Congress, get to work! Work together!

My response, in the form of a question: is it better for America to be a government-run enterprise or a private corporation-run enterprise?

By definition, a congressman holds a public office; a private corporation is a capitalist office. The public officer looks out for the public good while the CEO looks out for the bottom line–of the corporation.

Obviously, not all politicians in Washington look out for the public good, but can the goal of maximizing corporate profits ever meet the goals of the public good? I think not. (And I also think of the most blatant disregard of the public good by a corporation in our recent history: oil-slicked wings of pelicans, oil-clogged blow-holes of dolphins, and a decimated fishing business in the Louisiana Gulf Coast. BP continues to rake in the profits while the public good is, well, not so good anymore.)

“Government of the people, by the people, for the people….”

At its core, America is a government-run enterprise. And the government is run by the people. WE have a say in government. WE can control how America is run. WE need to vote. WE need to be politically active. I want America to be a government-run enterprise–as long as WE the people are the CEOs.

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Many states are arguing that it is unconstitutional for the federal government to make it mandatory for individuals to buy health insurance. Yet it is mandatory for individuals to purchase auto insurance. The constitutionality of mandatory auto insurance has not be questioned in the courts (as far as I know). Am I missing something here?

In 2000 a pack of cigarettes cost only $1.80 more than a gallon of gas. Today, a pack of cigarettes costs over $4.00 more than a gallon of gas. Why the big jump? Taxes pay a large role in determining the cost of cigarettes. Gasoline is also taxed. BUT, at a much lower rate than cigarettes. Proponents of the cigarette tax say that the health hazards of smoking are proven and documented, thus justifying the high taxes. Using the same knowledge, climate change scientists also state that the environmental hazards of carbon dioxide emitting vehicles is also proven and documented. Perhaps it’s time to consider taxing gasoline in the same manner that we tax cigarettes, as a environmental and health hazard.

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I love voting in the primaries because it is the rare time in American politics when I feel like my voice counts. Yesterday was the primary election for the Democratic seat for US Senate for Pennsylvania. Arlen Specter v. Joe Sestak. Over a year ago when Hans and I decided to move to the Keystone State I was excited for a number of reasons: cheesesteaks, microbrews, proximity to friends and family, and the opportunity to get Arlen Specter out of office! I’ve just never liked the guy and he put the icing on the cake when he switched parties in April 2009 so he could remain in power.

I was excited yesterday to vote for Joe Sestak and I was excited this morning when I turned on the radio and found out that he won!

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Last week Hans was standing on Broad St. near Temple Medical School and a guy walked up to him and asked him if he had a quarter. Hans said “no.” The guy walked away muttering “a**hole.” Was Hans obliged to give the guy a quarter? And since he didn’t, does that make him an a**hole? Hardly!

After Hans told me this story last night, we had a conversation about giving money to people on the street–panhandlers, homeless, destitute, whatever their situation. After living and working in DC for over three years, I had to come up with a strategy that I could feel good about.

Kristen’s “spare change policy” circa 2006:

If I have loose change in my pocket, give it out.

Contribute either with money or time to an organization advocating or assisting the homeless.

Pretty straightforward and it worked well for me while I was living in DC. But times change.

When we first arrived in Florida from the Bahamas in 2009 we spent a rainy afternoon at a gazebo in Daytona Beach, Fla. waiting for the public library to open. Not surprisingly, we were joined a by a small group of men and one woman also waiting for 2PM. These people were either homeless, in transition, or living at temporary housing which closed at 9AM. We had a great conversation with them, sharing stories of our travels through the Caribbean and commiserated with them about the tight restrictions on access to public space on the east coast of Florida. For the sake of my “spare change policy,” I need to generalize a little here. People living on the street, or those that find themselves in in-between places are lacking regular human interactions. So often people just pass them by, trying to look the other way, often times to reduce their own sense of guilt. I know, I’ve done it before and I know I’ll do it again. The people we met in Daytona probably weren’t that interested in our sailing adventures or the geography of the ICW, but were just happy to have a conversation. This experience caused me modify my “spare change policy.”

Kristen’s “spare change policy” circa 2010

If I have loose change in my pocket, give it out.

Be human. If I give spare change, look the person in the eye and say, “sure, here you go.” If I don’t have spare change, look the person in the eye and say, “nope, not today” or “sorry, not today.”

Contribute either with money or time to an organization advocating or assisting the homeless.